people_dont_have_to_be_anything_elsefandomcom-20200215-history
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British writer, primarily of children's fiction. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force and gained a reputation as a formidable flying ace. He became an intelligence officer and wing commander. Connections Patricia Neal was married to Dahl from 1953 - 1983. C.S. Forrester was a close friend of Dahl's, and first encouraged him to write. Harold Balfour, 1st Baron Balfour met Dahl at a gentleman's club in London in 1942. Balfour was so impressed by the young Dahl that he offered him a job working for the British Embassy, which Dahl declined. However, Balfour was determined that Roald should have the job, and was persistant. Eventually, Dahl accepted. While working for the British Embassy in Washington D.C., Dahl worked with E.F.L. Wood, 1st Earl Halifax, whom he disliked. Dahl frequently played tennis with Wood. Dahl began working with William Stephenson in 1942, delivering intelligence to him and working closely together. Stephenson eventually came to regard Dahl as a favorite and rising star, promoting him twice. After the war, the two men remained close friends for decades. During his time working for MI6, Dahl also worked with Ian Fleming and David Ogilvy. He would later write two screenplays based on books written by Fleming. Dahl wrote a short story, The Gremlins, specially for Walt Disney. Dahl helped Kenneth Oppel publish his first novel. Dahl is the grandfather of writer and model Sophie Dahl. Dahl flew in the same Royal Air Force squadron with Pat Pattle, David Coke, and Nigel Cullen in 1940. All of them were friends of his. David Seltzer wrote the screenplay for the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Dahl was very unhappy with the film, disowning it and refusing to acknowledge it as having anything to do with him. He was upset that Willy Wonka had been made the main character, while Charlie took a supporting role. He was "infuriated" by deviations from the plot of the book. The experience was so bad, he refused to let any more of his books be made into movies. Dahl frequently wrote for the BBC show That Was the Week that Was in the 1960's, and at times worked with David Frost. Dahl was a friend of Isaiah Berlin, despite at times voicing contradictive statements that suggested he was anti-Semitic. Places Cardiff, Wales, UK - Born here, 1916. Grew up here. Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK - Attended boarding school here, about 1925 - 1929. Repton, Derbyshire, England, UK - Attended boarding school here, 1929 - 1934. Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England, UK - Got first job here, around 1930. Oslo, Norway - Vacationed here annually, approximately 1928 - 1934. Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK - Set off on a sea voyage from here, 1934. St. John's, Canada - Began a hiking trip here, 1934. London, England, UK - Trained for a job here, 1934 - 1936. Lived here, 1941 - 1942. Re-married here, 1983. Mombasa, Kenya - Lived and worked here, 1936. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Lived and worked here, 1936 - 1939. Nairobi, Kenya - Trained as a pilot here, 1939 - 1940. Baghdad, Iraq - Trained as a pilot here, 1940. Ismailia, Egypt - Landed at an air force base here, 1940. Fouka, Algeria - Landed to refuel here, 1940. Mersa Matruh, Egypt - Was in a plane crash here, 1940. Alexandria, Egypt - Was hospitalized here, 1940. Eleusis, Greece - Was based here, 1941. Athens, Greece - Visited here, 1941. Chalcis, Greece - Was in an air skirmish here, 1941. Haifa, Israel - Was based here, 1941. Glasgow, Scotland, UK - Boarded a ship here, 1942. Halifax, Canada - Ship landed here, 1942. Montreal, Canada - Traveled here, 1942. Washington D.C., USA - Lived and worked here, 1942 - 1945. Richmond, Virginia, USA - Visited here frequently, 1943 - 1944. New York, New York, USA - Lived here, 1946 - 1983. Got married here, 1953. Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, UK - Lived here, 1954 - 1990. Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK - Died here, 1990. Category:People Category:Writers Category:1916 Births Category:1990 Deaths Category:People From England Category:Roald